The Old Curiosity Club discussion
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Sketches by Boz
Sketches by Boz
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Reading Schedule and General, Major or Private Observations
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http://www.gutenberg.org/files/882/88...
I think you can also get a kindle edition on gutenberg.
Just to clarify -- will the discussion for Mr. Minns begin on the 18th, or is that reading time, with the discussion beginning on the 24th? Seems like different groups do things differently, and I'm rarely in sync.
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Is there a separate thread to discuss the Sketches or do we do it here?
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Tristram wrote: "I think we should continue our procedure from the Pickwick Club, i.e. there should be a separate thread for every individual Sketch. This way, it'll be easier to follow discussion since all the con..."I agree, Tristram -- it's also much easier for people to find those individual threads if they read the sketch sometime later, but still want to read the discussion, as I did with Dombey and Son.
Did I miss a discussion on The Tuggs's at Ramsgate? I don't find it anywhere....
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I noticed that I made a mistake in planning the reading schedules, and that the week that was reserved for the Tuggs's was also the week we wanted to start OMF. That's why I did not open a thread for the Tuggs's and started right away with the major novel.
If you want a thread to be opened, tell me, and I am going to do it. However, I think you should also be able to open threads in a folder. I haven't read the Tuggs yet, but if you want to discuss it, I'll read it and open a thread.
I'll leave it to the group. If few people read it, we can save it for the next time. Anyone?
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17/05 – 23/05 Sketches: Horatio Sparkins + The Black Veil
24/05 – 30/05 Sketches: The Steam Excursion + The Great Winglebury Duel
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Tristram
Do you want me to cover off a week of these stories? If so, which week would you like me to help with?
I confess I can’t recall if we do a major commentary with them or not.
Peter
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It would be very nice if you could cover the first week's two stories. I'll have new teachers-in-training coming in May, which means quite a lot of work. Plus, I am considering taking up a new sports, which would then be the only sports I am doing: Fencing. My son started it and it looks like a gentlemanly enterprise to me.
Tristram wrote: "Fencing. My son started it and it looks like a gentlemanly enterprise to me."I've never been an athletic person or a sports fan, but fencing is one of the two activities I really enjoyed in gym class (the second being archery). Enjoy your swashbuckling!
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OK I’ll cover the first two stories for 17/05.
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I've never been an athletic person or a sports fan, but fencing is one of the two activities I really..."
I am in two minds about that fencing thing, Mary Lou. The sport itself intrigues me because, and that may tell a lot about myself and my competetiveness, you are all on your own and responsible for how you do. Apart from that, it's elegant. On the other hand, when it comes to sport, I am hopelessly lazy and really have to work on myself in order to attend regularly. I never did any archery, but when I was younger I did some shooting, which I was pretty good at. Of course, I would excel at a sport where it is tantamount for you not to move at all. That suits me down to the ground.
Tristram wrote: "Again, we are going to have a little time between two major novels, and that's why we want to spend two weeks reading some of Dickens's sketches. This way, those who are still reading Pickwick can ..."I've never read a word of Boz, so I look forward to it. I'm going to purchase the e book edition that contains the illustrations; for the full effect, as they say.
Pleased at the prospect of looking at these Sketches, hurray!I took fencing for a few months with my then-ten year old son as a bonding experience. It was a lot more physical work than I thought, and also the instructor told us it's like chess in that you need to be calculating your moves and your opponent's responses several steps in advance of them happening. I was kind of a lot cause as my son was better both at moving and at chess than I (quite a lot better, as I don't play chess at all), but it was also super fun, and I'm a little envious of you, Tristram.
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On the other hand, I wanted to do some kind of sport because I feel that my body needs some reminder of its being still there.
Hi all-new to the group, and looking forward to joining in the discussions.I’m presuming given Sketches is essentially a collection of short stories, I’ll not be losing anything from joining in for the sketches the group plans to cover at the end of this month, having not read the previous sketches?
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The Sketches can stand on their own as short stories. Enjoy them at leisure and any order really. We will have short commentaries on the ones coming up to act as a conversation starter.
Perfect timing for Oliver Twist which is starting very soon.
Welcome, Chris! And Tristram, if it helps, the reason I felt I needed a bonding experience with my son is that I'd just given birth to his brother, so I was recovering from that (and packing some extra pounds, and sleep-deprived) while taking fencing. It might not have seemed quite so strenuous under different circumstances!
Thanks for the welcome both, and thanks for clarifying Peter; thought that’d be the case but thought best to check (I’ll suppress my natural compulsion to start right from the start!).Looking forward to the start of the discussions!
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So let's hope I will overcome my natural skepticism with regard to physical exercise ;-)
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Welcome to the group! I see that Peter already answered your question. Enjoy our discussions and please feel free to take part whenever you like.
Tristram wrote: "Julie,So let's hope I will overcome my natural skepticism with regard to physical exercise ;-)"
I look forward to hearing a report!
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So let's hope I will overcome my natural skepticism with regard to physical exercise ;-)"
I look forward to hearing a report!"
Me too. Send video please.
Please save me a couple of tickets ;)
Tristram wrote: "Again, we are going to have a little time between two major novels, and that's why we want to spend two weeks reading some of Dickens's sketches. This way, those who are still reading Pickwick can ..."Of the two sketches selected, any particular thematic reason or just random? Mainly just curious.
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So let's hope I will overcome my natural skepticism with regard to physical exercise ;-)"
I look forward to hearing a report!"
Me too. Send video please."
This fencing thing will probably make me look like Mr. Winkle eventually.
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I hope that your first two days of the New Year were pleasant and not too much encumbered with work and worries. To give the group some time for preparation before we start with our next major read, The Old Curiosity Shop, we will spend the next two weeks reading some shorter pieces written by Dickens, namely the four last Sketches in the collection Sketches by Boz. We would, of course, invite every member to take part in reading the sketches and engaging in discussions.
Here is the reading schedule for the next two weeks:
03/01/2019 - 09/01/2019: Mrs. Joseph Porter; Passage in the Life of Mr. Watkins Tottle
10/01/19 - 16/01/2019: The Bloomsbury Christening; The Drunkard's Death
So then, let our curious Dickensian 2019 begin!
I forgot we were reading some of the Sketches and I look forward to them. I will just dig my copy out of the cloud, which before the internet age was impossible to do. ;)
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In the Other Place, we already started reading some of the Sketches whenever there was time between Dickens's major novels, and so let's just pick up our Sketches where we left them. Before we start with our next novel, we would like to spend some time on three Sketches, giving our members time enough to finish Great Expectations and also the opportunity to read some shorter Dickens works simultaneously.
So, here's the reading schedule:
18/05/2017 - 24/05/2017: Mr. Minns and His Cousin + Sentiment
25/05/2017 - 31/05/2017: The Tuggs's at Ramsgate